Sunday

This morning was church at the orphanage. There is another team of people here now from Goshen, Indiana. They sponsor the second orphanage here in Doi Saket as well as a second orphanage in Battambang, Cambodia. The pastor of their church spoke to the kids this morning. It was another sweet time of fellowship with lots of songs from the kids.

Afterward, we went to a swimming pool where 5 of the girls were baptized (sound familiar Vista? I felt right at home!) Some of the older girls sang hymns before and during the baptism. What a privilege it was to see that step of faith that they were taking. Below are some pictures of this event. Four of the girls are from the Karen Hill Tribe (pronounced kuh-ren') and are dressed in their traditional clothing.

After lunch I got to go see what a Thai hospital looks like. Don't worry, it wasn't for me. A team member hurt her foot in Cambodia, but luckily all is well. It's not broken. We were in and out in an hour...and everything only cost about $10! 

A doctor was at both orphanages in Thailand yesterday to see the kids who were sick. You can imagine that with about 90 kids, all types of illnesses can get passed around. Unfortunately the youngest two have had respiratory illnesses these past couple of weeks. So, the American couple who are pastoring at the orphanage have been taking care of one. His name is Tinoy, and he is pictured below. He came from a Lisu tribe (pronounced lee'-soo). He is 2 years old, although he looks younger. When he arrived at the orphanage a couple of months ago, he was sickly and couldn't yet walk. Thankfully, he is on the mend. Today he was dancing for us and playing games. This is the first I have seen him playful since I arrived.

One personal note...I figured that since I was going to be living in Southeast Asia for a year, I should learn how to use chopsticks. You'll be happy to know that I conquered this. Below, you can see me eating peanuts with them. They were oiled peanuts - not easy!

Tomorrow will be a busy day for us. We will be helping out at the orphanage with the younger kids, doing some odd jobs like painting, and teaching English at the elementary school. You can pray for me as I have caught a cold and want to be able to give all that I can in the few days we have left on this trip.